Let’s chat about primers for a second here.
Although you don’t usually see these items on the face, they are necessities for keeping your makeup in tip-top shape. It’s funny because probably like 15 to 20 years ago primers weren’t a thing. Makeup was basic and you could get away with like five products. Nowadays, it takes like 15 different products to do a full face of makeup.
I use primers everyday, whether it’s a foundation primer or an eyeshadow one. These products help keep my other makeup items in check and look more flawless. Without them, my eye and face makeup would start to wear away earlier throughout the day. I have a lot of foundation primers, as well as a few different eyeshadow ones, but lately drugstore brands have been releasing their own formulas, which is great for the wallet. Foundation primers can be quite pricey (usually as much – if not more – than a foundation), so having affordable options is a necessity.
Thankfully CoverGirl has you covered.
Remember how I was saying that they recently introduced a number of new products to their line up? Well, that includes – you guessed it – primers as well. I have already chatted about their new Base Business foundation primers, but as a refresher, these primers are specially formulated to deliver specific benefits to your skin’s unique needs. There’s four different ones in the collection, Skin Smoothing (clear/white) to visibly smooth skin for the perfect canvas; Colour Neutralizing (green) to neutralize the appearance of redness and help to correct uneven skin tone; Pore Minimizing (purple) to reduce and blur pores and mattify the skin; and Illuminating (peach) to illuminate and hydrate to enhance skin’s radiant appearance thanks to pearl pigments.
CoverGirl hooked me up with the Pore Minimizing one and I’ve been using it pretty much non stop since I got it. Pores aren’t really an issue for me, but I do have to admit that it goes on really smoothly and adheres to my skin nicely. This product preps my skin perfectly for foundation, and as you can see in the photos below (the right-hand side of my face has the primer and the left doesn’t), my foundation was still looking nice even after eight hours of wear.
Foundation primers are pretty widely available from lots of brands nowadays, but something a little rarer are eyeshadow primers. I was so happy to hear that Covergirl came out with a clear primer for the lids, the Lid Lock Up eyeshadow primer. The doe-foot applicator gives your eyeshadow all-day, crease-proof wear so you don’t have to worry about your eye makeup fading away. This goes on white but blends out clear so you can use it with any shadow colour. The primer really does make a difference as it helps to maximize the wear and intensity of your shadow. Check out the photos below, the right eye has the primer and the left doesn’t and there is a clear difference after eight hours of wear. Even after application, you can tell that the eye that has the primer makes the shadow look more luminous and intense, whereas the other one makes it look dull.
Too Faced and Urban Decay are known for their eyeshadow primers, but if you are looking for an affordable option, CoverGirl has you covered. I think out of everything they have released lately, I was definitely the most excited for this product since it’s something you don’t often see a drugstore brand releasing.
Finally, if you want to up your lash game, apply a coat of their Lash Blast Amplify Primer to help maximize the results of your mascara. This white mascara adds length and thickness to your lashes, while also making them feel conditioned over time. It contains a conditioning formula that features micro-fibres, as well as argan, jojoba, and coconut oils.
Like I said, when it comes to priming products, usually drugstore brands aren’t the first brands you would think of, but I love how CoverGirl has expanded their arsenal of products to include these items. You can have the most expensive foundation and a million eyeshadow palettes, but primers really help those products shine.
Have you tried CoverGirl’s new priming products?
Please note, products provided by PR. All opinions are my own.
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So since Ziggy got to do some pretty fun stuff on his birthday with Ford Canada, they were so kind to hook me up with a Lincoln last week so I could do some celebrating for mine, in luxury of course.
At the end of May I celebrated my 30th birthday, and although I have a trip planned with a bunch of girlfriends to celebrate it in September, I really wanted to get away for at least a weekend to commemorate this milestone birthday. Thankfully, Lincoln hooked me up with the 2018 MKZ Hybrid to take the car to Kenora and also partake in some fun activities while I was there.
I’ve driven the MKZ previously, but this was my first time driving the hybrid version. It drove pretty much the same, however, it is a very quiet car (thanks to it being a hybrid), and the gas mileage on it was amazing (seriously, the tank lasted a six days, including highway travel to and from Kenora). I have so many favourite features from the MKZ that were the same this time around, including the giant moonroof, which retracts back all the way, letting in that fresh Lake of the Woods air. The panoramic glass is actually the largest opening among sedans on the market, and although it’s awesome to have all that open-air space the glass actually retracts back to cover half the back window. I love the feature, but think it’s strange that it covers the back window, since it’s a necessity for driving. I found this odd the last time I drove this car as well and it’s not a huge deal, but I’m still very curious to know why Lincoln designed the car this way.
Other than the moonroof, the two hours there and back were a comfortable ride thanks to the multi-contour front seats with Active Motion, which cooled them and massaged us as we drove (a must for road trips!). The leather-trimmed seats were also super luxurious to sit in and incredibly comfortable there and back.
Now I know I always chat about it, but the stereo system and entertainment unit was top notch since the GPS took us straight to the Clarion Lakeside Inn and Conference Centre, as well as told us in real time how much driving time we had left. We listened to tunes courtesy of Sirius XM all the way there and back as well (my top picks are Hit 1, Venus, and BPM).
As for what we actually did in Kenora (aside from drive of course!). We got in around 9 p.m. on Friday night and checked into our hotel, which overlooked the lake and had this awesome large deck to sit out on the water and enjoy the scenery. Then we walked over to The Boathouse to have some appies before calling it a night. The next day, we drove to the Harbourfront, where we boarded a float plane to take us around Lake of the Woods on a sightseeing flight. This was definitely the smallest plane I’ve every been on (seats four people, including the pilot) and went up about 1,000 feet. There are a lot of really large cottages in the area, so it was super cool to get a bird’s eye view of the region, as well as really appreciate the beauty that this area of Canada offers. They call it Lake of the Woods because there are so many islands in this region and by land you can obviously see them but don’t really notice how many there truly are. From the sky is a different story and it was incredible to see the area from up top.
After the floatplane, we walked around Kenora and took in the beautiful weather before heading back to the hotel, picking up a pizza, and chilling on the dock watching the sunset. The next day we loaded up the car and drove back to the city since it was Father’s Day.
Other features of the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid that I loved were the little lighting features that made the car super exciting walking up to. When you approach the MKZ with the keys, the Lincoln logo welcome mat illuminates on the ground and the door handles light up. This is totally one of those features that doesn’t really do much for the use of the car, but is so luxurious and special and it really does add that wow factor to the whole package.
Driving on the highway was also a breeze thanks to the available 30L GTDI twin-turbocharged engine, which produces up to 400 horsepower, and made passing other cars on the highway less stressful. I also loved the lane-keeping system, which alerts you via steering wheel vibrations if you’re starting to drift (not that I drifted, but we did see a deer on the side of the highway which I got excited about ;).
I always get so excited to drive the Lincoln vehicles since I know the standard for the cars is quite high. There’s nothing like getting into a luxury car and exploring all the features and the same was the case for the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. Like I said, I have driven the car before, but this time around I really couldn’t get over how well the gas mileage was on this. I used to have a Civic Hybrid back in the day and I although he gas mileage on that was good as well, I found the driving to lagging when I went to accelerate. You don’t get that in the MKZ, it drives so well that you wouldn’t even realize that it’s a hybrid.
Have you driven a hybrid vehicle before?
Huge thank you to Ford Canada and Lincoln for loaning me the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid for the week. Ford Canada paid for my travel expenses on this trip.
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As much as I love my matte liquid lipsticks, sometimes it’s nice to just wear a sheer wash of colour packed with moisture.
If this sounds like something up your alley, then you’ll definitely have to check out L’Oreal Paris’ new Colour Riche Shine lipsticks. These lipsticks, available in 12 shades, deliver a medium wash of colour with a glossy finish. Each one is infused with oil for an incredibly comfortable wear. They also offer up a hydrating and lasting shine effect that gives you a wash of colour. Honestly, these are just so perfect for summer.
L’Oreal was super kind and sent me all 12, housed in the cutest acrylic box. Each lipstick features a clear case that makes it super luxe to carry. When I first saw the shades I was a little discouraged since a lot of them are bold colours, however, when I got to swatching, it turns out the colour you see in the stick is a lot more pigmented than it will actually appear. For instance, Gleaning Plum is a deep purple, however, it gives you pretty berry colour on the lips.
If you’re a fan of other oil-enriched lipsticks (such as the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-in-Stick lipsticks), then I think you’ll really like these (plus, they are way more affordable!). I thought I would be favouriting the lighter colours the most, but the reds and hot pinks are really gravitating towards me since they gives you such a beautiful wash of pigment.
Since summer often means moisture, I definitely recommend picking up a shade from this line to toss in your purse or beach bag this summer. It’s so easy to just grab this and slather it on. Plus it keeps your lips moisturized for hours, so definite win-win!
Will you be trying out any shades from L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Shine lipstick collection?
Please note, I received this product from PR. All opinions are my own.
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